TONIGHT'S GAMEThe Rangers play their 65th game of the 2016-17 season tonight, Mar. 4, against the Montreal Canadiens in an Original Six matchup at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m. ET - TV: MSG Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). The Blueshirts have won 10 of their last 14 games (10-3-1), as well as 13 of their last 19 contests (13-5-1). The Rangers have posted a 41-21-2 record this season.

RANGERS VS. CANADIENS

All-Time: 194-329-94-5 (128-126-54-2 at home; 66-203-40-3 on the road)

2016-17: Tomorrow's game is the third of three meetings between the Rangers and Canadiens, and the second of two meetings between the two teams at MSG. The Rangers have posted a 0-1-1 record (0-0-1 at home; 0-1-0 on the road), as the Canadiens defeated the Rangers, 3-2, in a shootout in the last meeting between the two teams on Feb. 21 at MSG. Rick Nash leads all skaters with two goals in the season series, while Derek Stepan, Kevin Hayes, and Ryan McDonagh have all tallied two points in the two contests.

Eight of the last 13 meetings between the Rangers and Canadiens have resulted in a shutout for one of the two teams.

RANGERS-CANADIENS CONNECTIONS

Ryan McDonagh was selected by Montreal in the first round (12th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Al Montoya was selected by the Rangers in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Alain Vigneault began his NHL head coaching career with the Canadiens in 1997-98. Vigneault served as Montreal's Head Coach for parts of four seasons (1997-98 - 2000-01).

Benoit Allaire served as Goaltending Coach with the Canadiens for one season (1996-97).

Mats Zuccarelloand Andreas Martinsen are the only two Norwegian-born players who are currently in the NHL. Zuccarello and Martinsen have been teammates with Team Norway in several international tournaments.

J.T. Miller, Jimmy Vesey, and Alex Galchenyuk helped the United States win a gold medal at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Kevin Kleinand Shea Weber were teammates with Nashville for parts of nine seasons (2005-06 - 2013-14). In addition, Klein, Weber, and Alexander Radulov were all teammates with the Predators for parts of three seasons (2006-07 - 2007-08; 2011-12).

Antti Raanta and Andrew Shaw were teammates with the Blackhawks for parts of two seasons (2013-14 and 2014-15).

Adam Clendening and Phillip Danault were teammates with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL for parts of three seasons (2012-13 - 2014-15), as well as with the Blackhawks for two games during the 2014-15 season.

Max Pacioretty is a native of New Canaan, Connecticut, and he was a Rangers fan growing up.

INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. CANADIENS

Henrik Lundqvist- 34 GP, 14-16-3, 2.83 GAA, .898 SV%, 2 SO - Lundqvist has allowed two goals or fewer in six of his last seven appearances against Montreal at MSG, dating back to Mar. 30, 2012.

Antti Raanta - 4 GP, 2-0-0, 1.99 GAA, .936 SV% - In three appearances against the Canadiens as a member of the Rangers, Raanta has posted a 1-0-0 record, along with a 1.32 GAA and a .946 SV% (35 saves on 37 shots).

Rick Nash - 18 GP, 7-4-11 - Nash has recorded a goal in each of the last two games against the Canadiens, as well as in three of the last four contests against Montreal.

Derek Stepan - 21 GP, 3-10-13 - Stepan has notched 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in his last 17 games against Montreal, including four points (two goals, two assists) in his last three games against the Canadiens.

Chris Kreider- 13 GP, 2-3-5 - Kreider has registered five points (two goals, three assists) in his last seven games against the Canadiens.

WINNING WAYSThe Rangers' 41 wins in 2016-17 are tied for the fourth-most the team has earned through the first 64 games of one season in franchise history. The only seasons in which the Blueshirts earned more than 41 wins through the first 64 games of a season were 1971-72 (43), 1972-73 (42), and 2011-12 (42). The Rangers are tied for second in the NHL in wins this season.

40/40 CLUBThe Rangers earned their 40th win of the 2016-17 season on Feb. 25 at New Jersey. The Blueshirts have registered at least 40 wins in each of the last four seasons, in six of the last seven seasons, and in 10 of the last 12 seasons.

ONE AND WONSince Jan. 7, 14 of the Rangers' 23 games have been decided by one goal. The Rangers have earned at least one point in each of the last 11 games they have played which were decided by one goal, dating back to Jan. 22 (10-0-1). The Blueshirts have posted a 19-7-2 record in one-goal games this season and rank second in the NHL in winning percentage in one-goal games in 2016-17 (.679).

SWEET 16Three Rangers rookies have registered 16 or more points this season (Brady Skjei, Jimmy Vesey, and Pavel Buchnevich). Prior to this season, the last time three Rangers rookies tallied at least 16 points in the same season was 2005-06 (Petr Prucha, Fedor Tyutin, and Dominic Moore).

HOME COOKINGNew York has earned at least one point in six of its last eight home games, dating back to Feb. 5 (5-2-1 record over the span).

ON POINTBlueshirts defensemen have tallied 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) over the last 10 games and a Rangers defenseman has recorded a goal in six of the 10 contests. Six different defensemen have recorded a goal over the span (Klein, Girardi, Holden, McDonagh, Clendening, and Skjei). A Rangers defenseman has notched a point on eight of the team's last nine goals, dating back to Feb. 25.

THIRD PERIOD TALLIESThe Blueshirts lead the NHL in third period goals in 2016-17 (86). The Rangers' 86 goals in the third period are the most a team has registered in any period this season.

STAYING DISCIPLINEDNew York has recorded the third-fewest penalty minutes in the NHL this season (437). The Rangers have been shorthanded three times or fewer in each of the last eight games and in 19 of the last 21 contests.

TWO GOODThe Rangers have allowed two goals or fewer in regulation in 12 of the last 19 games and in 38 games this season. The Blueshirts have posted a 32-4-2 record in those 38 contests in 2016-17.

SATURDAY NIGHT'S ALRIGHT FOR WINNINGThe Blueshirts have posted a 9-2-0 record in games played on a Saturday this season and an 18-4-1 record in weekend games in 2016-17.

KING HENRIKHenrik Lundqvist earned his 400th career NHL win on Feb. 11 vs. Colorado, becoming the 12th goaltender in NHL history to earn 400 career wins, as well as the first goaltender to earn 400 wins with the Rangers. Lundqvist, who earned his 400th career NHL win in his 727th career NHL appearance, became the fastest goaltender in NHL history to accomplish the feat. He also became the second goaltender in NHL history to earn all of his first 400 career wins with one franchise (Brodeur - NJD). Lundqvist has posted an 11-4-1 record, along with a 2.17 GAA, a .931 SV%, and 1 SO in his last 17 appearances. In addition, Lundqvist has been selected as the game's First Star 13 times this season, and he is tied for first among NHL players in First Star selections in 2016-17.

Lundqvist enters the contest with 29 wins this season and 403 wins in his NHL career. He is one win away from...passing Grant Fuhr for sole possession of 10th place on the NHL's all-time wins listpassing Martin Brodeur for the most wins by a goaltender in his first 12 seasons in NHL historybecoming the first goaltender in NHL history to earn 30 or more wins in 11 of his first 12 seasons, and the third goaltender in NHL history to earn at least 30 wins in 11 or more seasons (along with Brodeur and Patrick Roy).

HENRIK LUNDQVIST AND MARTIN BRODEUR - FIRST 12 NHL SEASONS

GOALTENDER

APPEARANCES

RECORD

GAA

SV%

SO

Henrik Lundqvist

734

403-245-74

2.31

.920

61

Martin Brodeur

740

403-217-105

2.17

.912

75

Lundqvist's next appearance will be his 735th career appearance with the Rangers, and he will pass Terry Sawchuk for the third-most appearances with one franchise in NHL history. Lundqvist's next appearance will also be his 50th appearance of the 2016-17 season, and he will become the first goaltender in Rangers history to appear in at least 50 games in 10 different seasons.

SKJEI HEY KIDBrady Skjei has registered 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) and a plus-13 rating in the last 19 games (since Jan. 19), and he is the only NHL defenseman who has recorded at least 14 points and a plus-13 rating over the span. He has also notched 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in the last 15 games, including 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in the last 13 games. Skjei has registered 28 assists in 2016-17, and his 28 assists are tied for the most a Rangers defenseman has notched in his rookie season since Brian Leetch established a franchise record for assists by a rookie with 48 in 1988-89.

IT'S MILLER TIMEJ.T. Miller has registered a point in 19 of the last 27 games, tallying 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists) over the span. He has established career-highs in assists (29), points (48), and game-winning goals (six) in 2016-17.

OSCAR-WORTHY PERFORMANCEOscar Lindberg has tallied a goal/point in three of the last six games (three goals), and he has recorded six points (four goals, two assists) in the last 12 contests. He has also won at least 50.0% of faceoffs he has taken in four of the last five games, posting a 57.1% faceoff win percentage over the span (32-for-56).

CAPTAIN MACRyan McDonagh tied for the game-high with three blocked shots, tied for the team-high with four shots on goal, and was credited with four hits while skating in a game-high, 27:16 of ice time in the Rangers' last contest on Mar. 2 at Boston. Since Oct. 16, 2014, the Rangers have posted a 31-7-4 record in games which McDonagh has logged at least 25:00 of ice time.

Feb. 28 - Recalled Steven Kampfer from Hartford (AHL); Acquired Brendan Smith from Detroit in exchange for a second round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and a third round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft; Acquired Daniel Catenacci from Buffalo in exchange for Mat Bodie; Assigned Pavel Buchnevich to Hartford (AHL)

THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY

Mar. 3, 1977 - Rod Gilbert registered his 400th career NHL goal, becoming the first (and only) player to tally 400 goals with the Rangers in franchise.

Mar. 4, 1961 - Jean Ratelle made his NHL debut and tallied his first career NHL goal, assist, and point as part of a two-point effort as the Rangers faced the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto.

Mar. 4, 1987 - Tomas Sandstrom registered his fourth hat trick of the 1986-87 season, establishing a franchise record for hat tricks by a player in one season. Sandstrom tallied three goals as the Rangers defeated the New York Islanders, 7-5, at MSG.

Montreal is just stronger on the puck. Rangers doing a lot of reaching. Gotta get their legs moving, and for god sake hit someone... just get in their way, I don't care if it's a thunderous hit, just play the body once in a while!

Rangers reverting back to the perimeter game that generates no chances on goal. Welcome to March, where teams play more physical around their net. Papa Johns isn't giving away any pizzas lately, are they?

If not for two individual efforts by Buchnevich and Lindberg, the Rangers lose all 4 games this week. Oh, and AV has benched both of those players this season. And Buchnevich would still be in Hartford if AV's boycrush Fast hadn't got pasted into the boards.

Henrik gets knocked into or bowled over at least once per game now.

Not one Rangers went to help Miller at the end of the game. This team disgusts me.